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Member Stories: Matt F.

Matt F. has been a Sabertooth member for about one year. While many people come to us with very little fitness experience, others come to us in good shape, looking to get in exceptional shape. Matt fits into that second category. He already had a solid base of conditioning built up when he started CrossFit, so our job was to help him expand his horizons and fill in the gaps in his fitness. Over the past year of consistent hard work, he has become a very strong athlete with several competitions under his belt, as wells a commendable level of dedication to improving himself and learning new things!

“I spent the past number of years in a solid workout routine of running, yoga, and a year-long weight training workout from a fitness magazine.

I got into it for two reasons – one part physical health (to look in the mirror and not make unkind mental notes to myself) and one part mental health (Minnesota winters are cold and dark for a Colorado native and I learned that regular aerobic activity helps maintain a good mood).

The secret ingredient that built a habit for me and kept me going was that a buddy of mine had gotten back into shape using a similar routine – I challenged myself to do as well (or better) than he had. I didn’t want to fall of the wagon and let him win at being in better shape.

I lost some extra weight, gained a little muscle, and was able to maintain a positive mood.

After a while, my buddy moved away and switched to biking and team sports. Which meant that I won. But, it also meant that while I had successfully built working out and reading about health and fitness into my life, I didn’t have anyone to compete with/against and I didn’t have any buddies to talk to about it.

Working out was great ‘me’ time, but as an extrovert, there’s only so much ‘me’ time I can take without starting to feel ‘down’ – which defeated the purpose.

Eventually, I hit a wall and decided to try a different group fitness thing. Based on research and a recommendation, I settled on Sabertooth. CrossFit sounded challenging, competitive, social, and, if my body ever started looking like that of a top CrossFit athlete – I could probably live with it.

As I walked into my first foundations class, I wasn’t sure if I’d love it or hate it but I knew that if I showed up for class, did what I was told, and left my ego in the car, I could walk away with some new knowledge and improved form and technique.

The rest is a blur. I wish I had kept a daily diary and photo journal.

Through six classes per week, a six-week nutrition challenge, and two partner competitions, I unearthed a competitive athleticism that I never realized I had. I’m learning to be comfortable with physical discomfort — to hold off on giving up so I can push myself harder to do cool things (like handstand walks) and learn do them well.

Along the way I’ve met some really awesome people that I love competing with and competing against. There’s always someone nearby to give you a “you got this” or a “looking good – keep pushing.” When you’re sweaty, tired, exhausted – someone will grab a couple of your weights and help you put your stuff away. We push each other to try new things, to go faster, to lift heavier, and to tell better jokes.

I found a crew that’s willing to hear about my workout, even if I didn’t fall off a treadmill and smack my face.”